Chapter 3
When his senses return to him, he feels momentarily bewildered at the hundreds-no thousands of presences ringing through the Force. The light side wields a strong hold, but under the light, there is thunderous darkness as well, threatening to swallow all of it.
Anakin is laying on his back. He could feel the heat on his bare skin. He takes a deep breath, feeling how the air engulfs his lungs in almost a soothing manner and it felt unimaginable! Unfortunately, feeling in the afterlife is rare, but that was made up by the peace that came with it.
Slowly, the former Sith Lord sits up and marvels at his fresh hand and feet instead of the ghostly image he had grown accustomed to. He looks up as the sun reflects off his face, causing him to reach out and cover his eyes as the unexpected sight blinds him.
He spots the dense swamps, rolling grass plains, seas, and verdant hills. The Gallo Mountains, bisects the largest continent and divides the great grass plains of the north from the Lianorm Swamp and bayous in the south. South of the Lianorm Swamp is the great, sea-like Lake Paonga, and at the bottom lay the Gungan city of Otoh Gunga. Its natural beauty is all too familiar to him.
Anakin walks to a nearby lake and stares down, seeing his familiar armor placed on him, heavily damaged. He sees his cerulean eyes. Once it has been youthful and optimistic but is now replaced by eyes that have seen too much horror for a lifetime.
Placing the pieces together, Anakin notices a creature that nearly confirms his suspicions. The head boasts two forward-curving horns. The long, furry tail is flaglike in shape, and doubtlessly can be used to communicate amongst individuals over long distances.
"A Gualama?" Anakin mutters. There is only one planet where human monarchs keep a gualama herd - this royal herd exists for the exclusive use of the Queen or King and his/her close servants. These gualamas were often ridden by these particular humans on twirrling expeditions, accompanied by trained twirrls. White and dappled varieties of gualamas existed.
Though, according to his deceased wife, they are also versions of them living in the wild. The wild Gualama is a species of herbivorous animal found on the grasslands of the planet of... Naboo?
The wild creature halts, stares at him for a moment, and grunts, before walking off.
Why, in the name of the Force, is he on Naboo? Is it because the Force wishes to finally punish him by sending him to her home world? The thought of her death might forever be engraved in his thoughts and no amount of time will ever heal that wound in his heart. How can a black hole be healed? This is the planet where his lover died, thanks to the manipulations of Darth Sidious, and most of all, his own arrogance and not seeing what she might have wanted because of his greed for power.
Tears scroll down his eyes as he remembers that poor woman whose only mistake is to marry someone such as him. What did she do to deserve her demise? All she did was fought for democracy in a corrupt Republic and so Palpatine manipulated him to the point where he nearly killed her!
And then Obi-Wan! The man who had loved him! Anger flashes within himself; when Obi-Wan first met Anakin, he didn't think much of him due to how young he was despite having seen how high his midi-chlorian count was! Whereas the Jedi Council was against Anakin's training due to his age and internal conflict, Obi-Wan's reason for opposing it was mainly because he was secretly jealous of him! After Qui-Gon was killed, Obi-Wan took Anakin in as his apprentice to fulfill his mentor's dying wish! He often clashed with Anakin for his frequent disobedience, as well as his impulsive and prideful attitude! However, Obi-Wan secretly always defended Anakin at every turn and always found a way to make Anakin's mistakes his own, something which Vader learned later! He was also the first to insist that Anakin be made a Jedi Knight! In the first year of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan came to secretly suspect that Anakin and Padmé were having an affair! He was only partly correct, as it was unknown to him that the two were married! He never revealed his suspicions to the Jedi Council, proving just how loyal he truly was to Anakin! When Obi-Wan discovered that Padmé was pregnant, he quickly figured out that Anakin was the father of her unborn child, unknown to him at the time Padmé was pregnant with twins! When Anakin turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader, Obi-Wan was heartbroken and only resolved to fight Vader because Yoda ordered him to do it! During their duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan kept trying to find a trace of his former apprentice in the monster he had become, but it was in vain and he eventually accepted that Anakin was gone! After Obi-Wan dismembered Vader and won the duel, he could not bring himself to murder his defenseless enemy in cold blood, and remorsefully left Vader to be consumed by the flames of Mustafar!
The truth is Obi-Wan didn't see Anakin and Vader as the same person, in his mind Anakin Skywalker the one who he looked upon and loved as a brother died on that fateful day on Mustafar and all that remained in the flesh that was once his best friend and young and loyal Padawan was the twisted and evil Sith Lord Darth Vader, and in a way, he was right, Anakin and Vader were truly completely different people who didn't want anything to do with one another. Any doubts Anakin had about his former Master have long since been resolved. Obi-Wan loved him since the beginning of his training.
Anakin continues his walk on the beautiful planet. After he redeemed himself in the eyes of Luke Skywalker, he has much work to do.
Padmé mausoleum was the final resting place of Padmé after her death. Padmé's corpse, despite Naboo custom requiring cremation of the deceased, was contained within a rectangular sarcophagus decorated with the stylized emblem of Naboo, and a soft-colored stained-glass window showed the image of the deceased. On either side of the sarcophagus, a stone pot filled with red flowers stood on a column.
Sometime after the duel on Cloud City, Vader visited Naboo in his quest for revenge against those who hid the existence of Luke and was ambushed by the Amidalans before reaching the tomb. Before he could enter, however, Vader was stopped by Sabé, Eirtaé, Rabé, Saché, Dormé, and the other former handmaidens, who refused to let him enter the grave so he would not desecrate it.
However, Vader would not be denied. As he entered the tomb, he became flooded with memories of Padmé. Eventually, ZED-6-7 performed a scan, finding a med implant that had a traceable stamp that led them to Polis Massa. Sabé would also leave the tomb, telling her forces to continue to pursue Vader. By the Force, why did he intend to kill the woman who was willing to die for Padmé? Thankfully he did not. He would tell them the truth, though they would hate his existence. They are people who he will protect to no end even these days.
Thoughts of Luke continue to invade him. The boy who convinced him to see reality and to turn away from the path of the dark! Luke Skywalker is ultimately a better man than he'll ever be, thanks to the gentle people who he raised no doubt.
He would also apologize to Leia, even though she would hate him for standing by and allowing the Empire to commit so much harm to the galaxy.
He is used to people rejecting him; his mother rejected him from staying behind, his former Master was one of many on the Council when he rejected him from the rank of Master, his former Padawan rejected him when offered to rejoin the Jedi Order, the Jedi Council rejecting to grant him the rank of Master, the Korun Master of the Order rejecting him when he was going to arrest Sidious, his wife rejecting him when he had offered her all of the power in the universe, his former Master rejecting in seeing his side, his then-current Master rejecting in teaching him the way to save his wife from death, his former Padawan rejecting him on Malachor, and-and the most painful of them all; even more than his wife rejecting him...
Luke rejected him. He'd messed his son-his dear inexperienced son up mentally and physically. And yet, Luke had managed to redeem him from the abyss of darkness and bring the light out of him, the light that inevitably saved the galaxy. The Force's final will of him so all of those victims of the Empire be avenged.
It is then he feels it. Through the Force, he could sense the Jedi moving through the galaxy as if he had never struck them down many years ago with his trusted legion of 501st Stone. He could also feel the dark side, and he could sense his old Master.
Darth Sidious.
Is it possible that his former Master survived his betrayal on the second Death Star? Anakin wouldn't put it past the old man. After all, he was able to clone his former apprentice, Galen Marek.
So, he presumes he would have to end the old man once more.
The Emperor had miscalculated Vader, he had entrusted his secret allies to keep a watch over his former Master so when he had attempted his old tricks once Vader struck him down, he would have been able to halt it from occurring. Most of his agents are loyal to Vader and had detested the Emperor and were willing to watch him plunge his crimson lightsaber into his back while he would destroy others who were loyal to his former Master for any excuse and also wouldn't share his plans to overthrow Sidious publicly for those of the Empire who was strictly loyal to Sidious to be informed.
But Anakin has concluded fairly quickly, there is something off about this whole incident; and that is proven by the fact that he had sensed a presence, a presence he hasn't felt since... since...
"Padmé."
With all of these questions and dilemmas going through his head, Anakin did the only thing he could do; he falls onto his knees and begins to delve deep into meditation.
"Am I'm in the afterlife?"
The Force rings with denial, surprising Anakin. He believed that he was in the afterlife along with his brother and the rest of the Jedi. But how can he sense the Jedi that died and never learned to become one with the Force? What if he is just losing his mind?
"Am I'm alive?"
The Force rings with acknowledgment, again surprising Anakin. Ho-how? He had died on the second Death Star unless-
"Have I time traveled?"
The Force rings, again, with acknowledgment, much to his shock. So, the Force has chosen to take him back in time?
He didn't know precisely what to feel, except surprise that is. Relief perhaps? Remorse?
All of the people who he had watched perished before and after his fall to the dark side presence flashes right through his senses, though of course, they are much younger! They didn't have to encounter the traumatic realities of war, death, and brutality!
All of those who died before can survive and live either better or worse lives. Slight joy boils up inside of him; his-his mother, Padmé, Cordé, Teckla, and many of his loyal former men in the 501st.
But there is still a problem for him that presents itself... his younger self. Although Anakin would prefer to stay as the name, Anakin, he cannot allow the Jedi or Palpatine to discover the truth and enclose his identity to their Order or the Republic. So, the name of Vader will do for now and for as long as he is in this time. His symbolism will be known as Vader, despite how the Jedi and the Sith would attempt to track down his backstory and how or why he came here now.
From here on out, Vader and Anakin Skywalker are different people in all but blood and soul.
Now his thoughts went to other matters...
The exact symbolic meaning of the Death Star is ambiguous, though it is certainly a symbol of evil. On one hand, the Death Star is a virtually blasphemous instance of the worship of technology over nature. The station is the size of a moon, an artificial world with enough firepower to obliterate a real planet with one shot. When Motti makes the mistake of calling the station "the ultimate power in the universe" in Vader's presence, however, Vader swiftly corrects him, first by reminding him that his "technological terror" is nothing compared to the Force, and then by force-choking the man into submission. On the other hand, Vader himself is something of a "technological terror," and the Emperor, the ultimate voice of the dark side of the Force, is quite fond of his Death Stars, so the opposition is not complete. In the end, the Death Star represents the innate fragility of even the most potent technology. Just as the Ewoks are unexpectedly able to defeat the Emperor's legion, so are the Death Stars destroyed by unsuspected forces technology could never prepare for. Both of the Death Stars were destined to be destroyed; they were technological nightmares waiting to happen. Were the Empire under Vader's control, it would have never been constructed.
Vader can make the decision for the first time in a long time. Anakin Skywalker shall be more controlling of his emotions; he wouldn't be a failure of a normal Jedi in the Jedi Council's viewpoint while Sidious attempts to corrupt him. He shall have a Master who is not too blinded by the Code. For all the flaws of Obi-Wan, he is not prepared for a Padawan at this time.
Vader's thoughts immediately went to Obi-Wan, his older brother who he can spare burdens. While it had taken a while, they have talked it out and placed aside their differences and their bond only grew ever the strongest. Death is certainly not an option which means he has to break Kenobi of the Jedi Code. It is only right. Kenobi did help him become one with the Force and to break him away from the arrogance of the Jedi Order would only be right. Ultimately, Vader can't ever kill the old man.
Then there is the Jedi Council. Despite his misgivings, Vader can't find it within himself to completely forgive the Jedi Order that treated him like garbage, faked Obi-Wan's death without hesitation, expelled Ahsoka from the Order, and was more than willing to allow her to be executed to wipe their slates clean, that stood by and did nothing while the Republic's corruption ran deeper. In spite of this, he doesn't wish for their collapse, just a new ascension that would be a needed change.
It is then Vader hears it, and he feels bile rising as he looks into the city; it was battalions of battle droids marching down upon the city of Theed, and although their actions are unseen from his eyes due to him being in the field, he already knows what is occurring. The Trade Federation shall take over the planet. Due to glitches in the battle droid's programming, particularly in threat recognition, a number of unarmed citizens will be mistakenly gunned down. Although Vader couldn't, much to his sorrow, prevent all catastrophes by those incompetent droids, he could at least assure his future wife would survive since the last thing he needs is for her to die in some cruel twist.
There were always visions in his mind about what his life could have been, had he chosen Padmé and the light over Sidious and the life of darkness in his time as the Dark Lord. He would have been with Luke and Leia, been able to meet his grandchildren in the flesh, and not be the monster he was.
The light side and the dark side of the Force circulate around him like a maelstrom, unmistakable darkness, coldness, and passion, yet there is a light as well, mercy, harmony, fairness, and affection, and a beast all swaddle up in one solitary semblance within the midstream of his being. Minus his grievances with his actions, he has achieved balance in his universe and he shall do so again in this one with the Chosen One of this universe. Both sides of the Force have been at war with each other for far too long. Regardless should the Jedi will survey him as a threat to their Order and the Sith attempt to cleanse him of the galaxy, Vader shall see to it that the Force is balanced at the end. He shall travel across the galaxy, searching for the knowledge of ancient Jedi and Sith that both Orders attempt to hide away or are forgotten in history.
The Jedi wields the belief that the Force in balance is purely light - no darkness at all. They believe it is the Sith and other dark side users who twist the otherwise natural light side of the Force to create the dark side, which they believe follows their will instead of them following the Will of the Force. The relationship of darkness to light is not Manichaean - where both sides are equally strong and necessary for the existence they claim. The dark side does not need to exist for pure harmony, they claim.
However, for years, or for perhaps over many decades, the Force was waiting for its wielder to complete the challenge of balancing both the light and dark and to bring real balance to the universe. Many like Revan, Darth Traya, and Jolee Bindo nearly completed among the living yet in the end they failed as they had never truly understood the great mysteries or completed their original goals. Who knows how long the Sith or - unintentionally - the Jedi unbalanced the Force?
The Force has been searching for the embodiment to assist the process along for many years, and it appears that they have its entity; a different version of the Chosen One yet in his prime once more. Someone who can morph this version of the Chosen One someone far more powerful and fulfill in traversing the Jedi Order into a new direction all the while amending the mistakes he'd once made.
The Force is out of balance, and Vader shall see to it that this is revised, that the light side and the dark side are balanced, and that the two sides of the Force's conflict be put to an end. This pointless battle between the light and darkness has been going on for thousands of years, and now it is time for Vader to truly bring balance to the Force and the galaxy even if it involves dragging that peace there kicking and screaming. Now he is the ultimate puppeteer; all he needs to do is find a way to kill Sidious.
Luke came close to achieving true balance yet he is a Jedi to no end, someone who unfortunately may never understand the great mystery. Eventually, someone may or someone may not and the Jedi Order may collapse once more. Despite Luke almost achieving balance, by the time he may be successful, he would be extremely old or dead. It adds salt to his battered heart and part of him wishes that he was transformed back into his son's time where he could help him, but the Force does not will for that to happen, and he shall respect the ways of the Force despite his disagreements with its choices or what he wishes to happen.
He is nobody's Master nor student now. He only serves the Force; the light side and the dark side both. He is not a Jedi nor Sith; perhaps some shall refer to him as a Gray Jedi? Well, that hypothesis isn't altogether inaccurate since he roams shades of gray these days.
Closing his eyes in deep meditation, it is time for the galaxy to shift in a new direction, time for balance to be accomplished at long last. Vader opens himself up to the Force and allows his presence to be known across the galaxy; the light side and the dark side vibrating through the galaxy. He is the Master of the Force, the Force's source, the Force's embodiment, and the Force's vessel.
Eventually, in many years coming, Vader shall see to it that Anakin Skywalker shall be as well.
The Force itself willingly proclaims Vader's arrival to the galaxy as he takes his first march to stop the ones who caused imbalance.
Obi-Wan Kenobi sits hunch over the controls of the bongo, familiarizing himself with their functions as Jar Jar Binks, position next to him, rambles on and on about nothing. Qui-Gon sits in the shadows behind them, silent and watchful.
"Dis is nutsen!" Jar Jar moans as the bongo motors steadily away from the shimmering lighted bubbles of Otoh Gunga and deeper into the waters of Naboo.
The bongo is an ungainly little underwater craft that consisted mostly of an electrical power plant, guidance system, and passenger seating. It looks somewhat like a species of squid, having flat, swept-back fins and aft tentacles that rotate to propel the craft. Three bubble-canopied passenger compartments are arranged symmetrically, one on each wing and the third forward on the nose.
The Jedi and the Gungan occupy the nose compartment, where Obi-Wan had assumed command of the controls, and Jar Jar had been instructed to start directing them through the core. It seems that there were underwater passageways all through the planet, and if you were able to locate the right one, you could cut travel time considerably.
'Or in the alternative,' Obi-Wan thinks darkly, 'you could cut your own throat.'
"We doomed," Jar Jar mutters plaintively. His flat-billed face lifts away from the directional guidance system toward the Jedi, his long ears swaying like ridiculous flaps. "Heydey ho? Where we goen, Cap'n Quiggon?"
"You're the navigator," Qui-Gon observes.
Jar Jar shakes his head. "Me? Yous dreaming. Don't know nutten 'bout dis, me."
Qui-Gon places a hand on the Gungan's shoulder. "Just relax, my friend. The Force will guide us."
"Da Force? What tis da Force?" Jar Jar does not look impressed. "Maxibig thing, dis Force, yous betcha. Gonna save me, yous, all us, huh?"
Obi-Wan closes his eyes in dismay. This is a disaster waiting to happen. But it is Qui-Gon's disaster to manage. It is not his place to interfere. Qui-Gon had made the decision to bring Jar Jar Binks along, after all. Not because he was a skilled navigator or had displayed even the slightest evidence of talent in any other regard, but because he is another project that Qui-Gon, with his persistent disregard for the dictates of the Council, had determined had value and could be reclaimed.
It is a preoccupation that both mystifies and frustrates Obi-Wan. His mentor is perhaps the greatest Jedi alive, a commanding presence at Council, a strong and brave warrior who refuses to be intimidated by even the most daunting challenge, and a good and kind man. Maybe it is the latter that does get him into so much trouble. He repeatedly defies the Council in matters that Obi-Wan thought barely worthy of championing. He possesses his own peculiar vision of a Jedi's purpose, of the nature of his service, and the causes, he should undertake, and he follows that vision with unwavering single-mindedness.
Obi-Wan is young and impatient, headstrong, and not yet at one with the Force in the way that Qui-Gon is, but he understands better, he thought, the dangers of overreaching, of taking on too many tasks. Qui-Gon will dare anything when he finds a challenge that interests him, even if he risks himself in the undertaking.
So, it is here. Jar Jar Binks is a risk of the greatest magnitude, and there is no reason to think that embracing such a risk would reap even the smallest reward.
The Gungan mutters some more, all the while casting about through the viewport as if seeking a road sign that would allow him to at least pretend he knew what he was doing. Obi-Wan grits his teeth. Stay out of it, he told himself sternly. Stay out of it.
"Here, take over," he snaps at Jar Jar.
He moves out of his seat to kneel close to Qui-Gon. "Master," he said, unable to help himself, "why do you keep dragging these pathetic life-forms along with us when they are of so little use?"
Qui-Gon Jinn smiles faintly. "He seems that way now perhaps, but you must look deeper, Obi-Wan."
"I've looked deep enough, and there is nothing to see!" Obi-Wan flushes with irritation. "He is an unneeded distraction!"
"Maybe for the moment. But that may change with time." Obi-Wan starts to say some more, but the Jedi Master cut him short. "Listen to me, my young Padawan. There are secrets hidden in the Force that are not easily discovered. The Force is vast and pervasive, and all living things are a part of it. It is not always apparent what their purpose is, however. Sometimes that purpose must be sensed first in order that it may be revealed later."
Obi-Wan's young face clouded. "Some secrets are best left concealed, Master." He shakes his head. "Besides, why must you always be the one to do the uncovering? You know how the Council feels about these... detours. Perhaps, just once, the uncovering should be left to someone else."
Qui-Gon looks suddenly sad. "No, Obi-Wan. Secrets must be exposed when found. Detours must be taken when encountered. And if you are the one who stands at the crossroads or the place of concealment, you must never leave it to another to act in your place."
The last of the lights from Otoh Gunga disappears in a wash of murkiness, and the waters close around them in a dark cloud. Jar Jar Binks is taking the craft ahead at a slow, steady speed, no longer muttering or squirming, his hands fix on the controls. He flips on the lights as darkness closes in, and the broad yellow beams reveal vast stretches of multicolored coral weaving and twisting away through the black.
"I respect your judgment in this, Master," Obi-Wan said finally. "But it doesn't stop me from worrying."
Like all of the Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been identified and claimed early in his life by the Jedi. He no longer remembers anything of them now; the Jedi Knights had become his family. Of those, he is closest to Qui-Gon, his mentor for more than a dozen years, who had become his most trusted friend.
Qui-Gon understands his attachment and shares it. Obi-Wan is the son he would never have. He is the future he would leave behind when he died. His hopes for Obi-Wan are enormous, but he did not always share his student's beliefs.
"Be patient with me, Obi-Wan," he replies softly. "A little faith sometimes goes a long way."
The bongo navigates a coral tunnel, the bridge work revealed in deep fissures of crimson and mauve in the glow of the little craft's lights. All about, brightly colored fish swam in schools through the craggy rock.
"Are the Gungans and the Naboo at war with each other?" Qui-Gon asks Jar Jar thoughtfully.
The Gungan shakes his head. "No war. Naboo and Gungans don't fight. Long time ago, mebbe. Now, Naboo keep outta swamp, Gungans keep outta plains. Dey don't even see each other."
"But they don't like each other?" the Jedi Master presses.
Jar Jar snorts. "Da Naboo gOtta. big heads, alla time think dey so much better den da Gungans! Big nuttens!"
Obi-Wan bends over Jar Jar Binks, his eyes direct out the viewport. "Why were you banished, Jar Jar?" he asks.
The Gungan makes a series of small smacking sounds with his bill lips. "Tis kinda long story, but keeping dis short, me... oh, oh, ahhh... kinda clumsy."
"You were banished because you're clumsy?" Obi-Wan exclaims in disbelief.
The bongo turns down through an open stretch of water between two huge coral shelves. Neither the Jedi nor the Gungan sees the dark shape that detaches itself from the larger outcropping and begins to track them.
Jar Jar squirms. "Me cause mebbe one or two little bitty axaudents. Boom da gasser, crash der Bosses' heyblibber. Den dey '-! banish me." '!
Obi-Wan is not entirely sure what Jar Jar is telling him. But before he could ask for clarification, there is a loud thump as something struck the bongo, causing it to lurch sharply to one side. A huge crustacean with multiple legs and massive jaws rings with teeth hooks them with its long tongue and is drawing them steadily toward its widespread maw.
"Opee sea killer!" Jar Jar cries in dismay. "We doomed!"
"Full speed ahead, Jar Jar!" Qui-Gon orders quickly, watching the jaws open behind them.
But instead of pushing the throttles forward, Jar Jar panics and jams them into reverse, causing the little ship to fly directly into the mouth of its attacker. The bongo slams into the back of the monster's throat with a heavy thump that sent the Jedi reeling over the seats and into the walls. Rows of jags teeth begin to close about them as the lights on the control panel flicker uncertainly.
"Oh, oh," Jar Jar Binks says.
Obi-Wan leaps quickly back into the copilot's seat. "Here, give me the controls!"
He seizes the throttles and steering apparatus and shoves everything into forward, full speed ahead. To his surprise, the opee sea killer's mouth opens with a spasmodic jerk, and they shot through its teeth as if from a laser cannon.
"We free! We free!" Jar Jar is jumping about in his seat, ecstatic over their good fortune.
But a quick glance back reveals that they were lucky for a different reason than they thought. The opee sea killer is caught in the jaws of a creature so huge that it dwarfed even the beast it is eating. A long, eel-like hunter with claw forelegs, rear fins, and a wicked pair of jaws was crunching the sea killer into tiny bits and swallowing it down eagerly.
"Sando aqua monster, oh, oh!" Jar Jar Binks moans, burying his face in his hands.
Obi-Wan increases power, trying to put more distance between themselves and this newest threat. The sando aqua monster disappears behind them, but the lights of the bongo are flickering ominously. The little craft dives deeper, penetrating the planet's core. Suddenly something explodes inside a control panel behind them, showering the cabin with sparks. Seams split overhead, and water begins leaking through the bongo's outer skin.
"Master," Obi-Wan said as the power-drive whine took a sudden dive, "we're losing power."
Qui-Gon is working over the trouble control panel, head lower. "Stay calm. We're not in trouble yet."
"Not yet!" Jar Jar has lost all pretense of calm and is flailing about in his seat. "Monstairs out dere! Leakin in here. We sinkin with no power! Yous nuts! When yous think we in trubble?"
With that, the lights inside the bongo go completely black. Jar Jar Binks has his answer.
Inside the troubled bongo, Obi-Wan fights to keep control as the little craft begins to drift aimlessly.
Abruptly, the whine of the power drive comes alive and the aft drive fins begin to turn. "Power's back," Obi-Wan breathes gratefully.
The lights on the control panels blink on, flicker, and steadies. The exterior directional lights follow, momentarily blinding them as they reflect off rock walls and jagged outcroppings. Then Jar Jar screams. A new monster is sitting right in front of them, all spines and scales and teeth, crooked clawed forelegs raise defensively.
"Colo claw fish!" the Gungan shrieks. "Yous Jedi do something! Where da Force now, you think?"
"Relax," Qui-Gon Jinn says softly, placing his hand on Jar Jar's twitching shoulder. The Gungan jerks and promptly faints.
"You overdid it," Obi-Wan observes, wheeling the bongo about and jetting away through the darkness. Even without looking, he knows the colo claw fish is in pursuit. They are inside a tunnel that probably serves as the creature's lair. They are lucky to have caught it by surprise. He angles the bongo toward the cave entrance and a series of overhangs that might provide them with a little protection on their way out. Something slams into the bongo, hold it fast momentarily, then released it. Obi-Wan increases power to the drive fins.
"Come on, come on!" he breathes softly.
They shot out of the cave directly into the jaws of the waiting sando aqua monster. The creature jerks back at the unexpected invasion, giving Obi-Wan just an instant to bank their craft hard to the right. The jaws of the aqua monster are still open as they speed between teeth the size of buildings.
Jar Jar's eyes flicker open. He catches sight of the teeth and promptly faints again.
Out through a gap in the sando aqua monster's fangs, they speed, the bongo shaking with the thrust of its power drive. But the colo claw fish, still in pursuit, did not veer aside quickly enough and flies right into the larger hunter's maw. The jaws come down, engulfing it.
Obi-Wan increases power to the drive fins as bits of the colo claw fish reemerges briefly through the sando aqua monster's grinding teeth, only to be suck quickly from sight again.
"Let's hope that's all the snack he requires," the Jedi observes with a quick glance back.
It is because it did not come after them. It takes a while to revive Jar Jar and a good deal longer to complete their voyage through the core, but with the Gungan's somewhat questionable help, they finally emerge from the darkness of the deeper waters toward a blaze of sunlight. The bongo pops to the surface of an azure body of water, green hills and trees rising about them, clouds and blue sky overhead. Obi-Wan steers the little craft to the nearest shore, shuts down the engines, and releases the nose hatch. Qui-Gon rises and looks around.
"We safe now," Jar Jar observes with a grateful sigh, leaning back in his seat. "Tis okeday, hey?"
"That remains to be seen," the Jedi Master said. "Let's be off."
He climbs from the bongo onto the shore and starts away. Obi-Wan glances meaningfully at Jar Jar and follows.
The Gungan stares doubtfully after the departing Jedi. "Me comen, me comen," he mutters and hurries after.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan comes to a stop and clutches the right side of his head. Qui-Gon feels it in under a second after his protege as well and clutches his head. A balanced if not conflicted presence, constraining both light and dark, echoes through the Force. This presence caught them completely off-guard.
"What is that?" The Jedi Padawan inquires, uncertain who this individual is that sends a waver through the Force.
His Master is quiet for the next moment, running his finger through his beard for a moment, unmistakably in deep thought and attempting to reach out with the Force to track down who caused this waver through the Force.
"I don't know, but I have my suspicions. Let's proceed carefully." the Maverick Jedi Master replies, not able to come to a proper conclusion but several theories are continuously flashing through his head.
Someone of this much power should be dead from overloading his body. No natural person can send this much of a shockwave through the Force, not even his own Master.
The Jedi Grand Temple, also known as the Jedi Temple, is the home of the Jedi Order—an order of Force-sensitive peacekeepers united in their adherence to the Jedi Code and the light side of the Force. In addition to its role as the central hub of all Jedi activities throughout the galaxy, the Temple functions as a monastery for Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters as well as a school for the training of Padawans and initiates. As the headquarters of the Order, the Temple is the location of several key areas such as the Holocron Vault, which houses the Order's closely guarded secrets; the Jedi Archives, the largest repository of information; and the Jedi Council Chamber, where the ruling Jedi High Council convened to ponder galactic events and determine the will of the Force.
Constructed by the Four Masters millennia before, the Temple was rebuilt and expanded several times over the centuries.
The Coruscant Temple's origins date back to when, at the beginning of the Great Hyperspace War, the Galactic Republic granted the Jedi land on Coruscant over the sacred spire, which contained a Force nexus. A holy place for the local Coruscanti, the Republic hoped by granting the Order land they would build a massive fortress like those they had established on Ossus, Falang Minor, and Haashimut. However, the Order did not wish to entangle itself with the politics of the capital or become a symbol of war and opted to build only a small meditative enclave. It wasn't until the Old Sith Wars saw the devastation of Ossus and the Great Jedi Library located there that the Order decided to re-establish its academy at the sacred spire. At the behest of the Order's wisest thinkers, the Four Masters began the painstaking task of building the Temple Ziggurat. Growing steadily for the next thousand years the Temple incorporated various pieces of historical works and architecture from their past, including tiles and stained-glass mosaics from the lost complex on Ossus.
Following the construction of the four Jedi Council spires, the Jedi High Council moved from their temporary meeting place and permanently relocated to the High Council Chamber at the top of the northwestern tower. As the Order became more and more tightly linked to the Republic they protected, the Order closed some of its satellite facilities and began moving all artifacts from Exis Station to the Temple's Archives. After the failed Jedi Conclave at Katarr, the Temple was abandoned as the remaining Jedi Knights went into hiding as Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion began the First Jedi Purge. Abandoned for only a brief period, the Jedi reorganized and returned to the Temple following the defeat of both the Sith Lords.
They survived and thrived as always, encountering small complications but growing ever stronger and more powerful for over thousands of years.
For the first time in thousands of years, there is a deep presence that abruptly fills the Force. Younglings who are in their classes, clutching their heads at feeling the enduring power of the dark side of the Force. Knights and Masters lean against the walls or wearily clutches their beds if they were in the quarters, a few even startling out of bed by the presence itself.
To make a story short, the Temple is for once in thousands of years of peace in a panicking state, uncertain of what is going to happen or what to do next as someone extremely powerful with the Force made itself known to all Force Sensitives across the galaxy, catching them completely off-guard.
As Master Windu and Master Yoda enter the Council Chambers and sit down in their seats, the rest of the Jedi Masters soon joins them, their troubling states indicating they have felt this great presence too.
"This presence is strong with the Force. There is so much evil, darkness, corruption, coldness, yet there is a light as well, mercy, justice, harmony, fairness, and affection." Yarael Poof chooses to speak first.
At most, the Jedi dealt with a grayish aspect of the Order. Namely Dark Jedi or Jedi who went rogue to pursue different aspects of the Force. Those of such as Xanatos, but never did they felt such a great presence, almost as if the Force itself abandoned them for a second to succumb to a being.
"We don't know if they should be considered an adversary to this Order," Kit Fisto replies, his humorous state, for once, being replaced with an uncertain expression that borderlines on caution. That is extremely rare since he has always been known to have a sense of humor. "To touch both sides without succumbing to the dark side... has never occurred before except in the Prodigal Knight."
"There is no resisting the dark side," Evan Piell states bluntly. "The Prodigal Knight has ultimately let this Order of itself past down by breaking his vows and touching the dark side as much as he has. This one might pose a great challenge."
"My only conclusion... by my senses... is that this is the doing of a Sith Lord." Plo Koon spoke up, cocking his head to the right.
"Threatened, the Republic is, if the Sith are involved," Yoda observes in his soft, gravelly voice.
The others began to mutter anew among themselves. Nothing else was said, waiting them out. They had believed the Sith destroyed. They had believed them consumed by their own lust for power.
Mace Windu leans back heavily, his strong brow furrowing. "This is difficult to accept, Plo Koon. I do not understand how the Sith could have returned without us knowing."
"Hard to see, the dark side is," Yoda said with a small snort. "Discover who this individual is, we must."
"Perhaps he will reveal himself to the Jedi," Ki-Adi-Mundi suggests, still grimly uncertain.
"Nevertheless, we should interrogate them," Oppo Rancisis declares, frowning as he stares at his fellow Masters. "Perhaps meditation is required."
The Jedi Masters close their eyes, hoping to find a proper location that manages to single-handedly shake the entire Jedi Temple to the core without a direct attack.
"Not hiding their presence they are," Master Yaddle - one of the members of the Council - proclaims, keeping her eyes close. "Naboo they are on."
"Naboo? Isn't that where Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi went to deal with the issue involving the Trade Federation?" Saesee Tiin declares gravely.
Two of their own are in substantial danger at the moment. Even unfortunate, the Queen of Naboo they are delegated to assist are also in greater danger.
"Yes," Mace Windu confirms. "The Queen may likely be his target. We would have to hope to the Force that either Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stop this figure before they get to the Queen or the Queen manages to escape."
"I can't sense any signs of manipulation in this presence though," Kit Fisto makes another observation, placing a hand on his chin. "They have managed to throw most of the skilled Jedi Masters, Knights, and Padawans in this Temple off-balance. But I am unable to sense any hostile intentions against this Order."
Master Windu agrees. "All I can feel is violence yet peace." The Korun Master places his hand in front of his mouth. "But the dark side can blind the Jedi."
"This figure does pose a threat to the Order by merely touching the dark side, we should recommend bringing them in our Jedi Prism where they can be held for the rest of their days so they wouldn't be able to threaten us. Touching the dark side is dangerous!" Saesee Tiin declares.
Windu frowns at that thought. The Prism is a secret Jedi-run prison facility whose existence was only known to the Jedi Council and had been constructed during the Second Great Schism. It is usually a place used to house those who are unstable and poses a threat to the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic.
"I'm still having a difficult time of considering this individual as a Sith," Ki-Adi-Mundi admits. "The Sith have been extinct for a thousand years. Why would they re-emerge now? Even someone this strong with the Force cannot be a Sith."
"We will have to see," Evan Piell says. "No matter what they are, they touch and likely know the dark side. They are extremely powerful in the Force."
"Couldn't we assemble a team of Jedi to deal with this potential threat?" Ki-Adi-Mundi suggests timidly, unquestionably still certain that this presence is not the doing of the Sith.
"A Strike Team won't make it in time if this individual does indeed threaten the life of the Queen," Plo Koon counters, placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, we would have to trust in the Force that this figure wouldn't harm the Queen."
And that is all they can do.